Shingen Clan
The Shingen clan (信玄一族, Shingen Ichizoku) is an influential clan of Iwagakure. Celebrated as masters of tessenjutsu, they utilise gunsen, made of a special metal gifted to them by the Earth Daimyō. They also run the Earth's Murder Force. Overview Many generations before the Fourth Shinobi World War the Earth Daimyō at the time married the heiress of the Shingen clan, transforming the Shingen into a new clan. The marriage instantly gave the clan influential status across the shinobi world and specifically in the Land of Earth. They now held power within the Land of Earth's government, a particular benefit of this was the gifting of the most unique and sacred mine in the Land of Earth. In this mine was a special metal with chakra absorption properties, this metal is called Chakra Absorption Steel '(チャクラ吸引, ''Chakura Kyūin Kō). When their connection to the Land of Earth's government was diminished due to the Earth Daimyō being succeeded, they began formulating a plan to retain their favour with the government. They offered the new daimyō their loyalty and service for political support, which he accepted, in essence they had become the vassal to the Earth Daimyō and the government. This led to the creation of the Earth's Murder Force, a squad of Shingen clan members, recognised as the Earth Daimyō's enforcers. They have worked directly under the Earth Daimyō's command ever since, continuing on from the previous daimyō to the next. During the formation of Iwagakure, the Shingen used their high status to make them an authoritative power in the hidden village. As a result of this many members of the clan have held positions in the Iwa Council. Abilities Observed as masters of tessenjutsu, the Shingen use gunsen, distinguishing them from ninja like Temari who uses a giant iron fan and Madara Uchiha who uses a gunbai. Originally they used regular steel, but following the marriage to the Earth Daimyō they were granted access to a unique and sacred mine, using the Chark Absorption Steel for their gunsen has improved their performance in combat. The metal, as the name entails, gave their gunsen the capability to absorb chakra that the fans come in contact with. The Shingen clan use gunsen in a variety of manners, they can be used defensively, such as parrying incoming attacks. They can also be used offensively, such as using the metal edge to slice while open or jab while closed, another method is throwing the open fan. Which uses their round shape as an advantage, giving it an easier chance to hit the target with the metal and they also have good range, comparable to more regular weapons, like kunai. Their proficiency with tessenjutsu is at such a level that they can block the assault of the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist or the Minamoto clan's kyūjutsu, often using their natural affinity with Lightning Release in junction with their techniques to increase its lethality, to the point of cutting through solid rock. The Shingen clan members are all gifted with superior speed to the average ninja and the Body Flicker Technique is commonly taught. The Hiding with Camouflage Technique is also taught to the clan members, to the level where they can erase their chakra's presence, in fact the clan are credited as the creators of the technique. Overall the clan display a high-level of stealth, even going as far as wearing black attire, including masks and not speaking in missions unless necessary. In addition, the Shingen clan use chameleons as their personal summons, utilising their powers for a variety of purposes. The chameleons can be used as a form of transport or to aide in combat, they are capable of using specialised techniques, similar to those of the toads. Their abilities can be covered by a simple phrase, which is used as their motto: '''Fūrinkazan (風林火山; Literally meaning "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain"). This refers to the idea of "as swift as wind, as silent as a forest, as fierce as fire, as unshakeable as a mountain." * As swift as wind: is embodied by the clan's speed. * As silent as a forest: is''' embodied by the clan's stealth. * '''As fierce as fire: is embodied by the clan's gunsen's offensive potential. * As unshakeable as a mountain: is embodied by the clan's gunsen defensive potential. Trivia * The clan is named and based on the daimyō, Takeda Shingen. The Shingen clan's use of fans is inspired on a legend where Shingen defended himself using a war fan from Uesugi Kenshin. The motto used by the Shingen clan was also used by Takeda Shingen, which also applied to his combat. * The Shingen clan have a rivalry with both the Hyūga and Minamoto clans.